Okay, okay, yes, I forgot to update yesterday. Sorry. ‘Twas in a strange haze at work, like somebody had cast a hex on me. My mind was fogged up.

Here’s what I’d intended to post yesterday:

I distrust technology predictions. But I’m going to make one.

How long does it take a really major technological change to occur? I’m talking about changes on the scale of the transition from mainframes to PCs, or the ubiquity of Microsoft, or truly “household” acceptance of the web.

It took years. Lest we forget: Microsoft was around for a long time before it became such a dominant part of the technological landscape. The web was around for, what five to ten years before you could reliably recommend a cool new website to a random acquaintance without getting a blank stare.

So, what about the Macintosh? The Mac was in trouble ten years ago. It began the turnaround five years ago with the introduction of the iMac, continuing through the the iPod and OS X.

Here’s my prediction: The Mac is going to gain ground on the PC, and it will start in the next year or two. With the modernization of MacOS in OS X, users are seeing an OS that they’re willing to play around with on the desktop. There’s enough eye candy to intrigue and entice people. There’s a lot of excitement about Macintosh these days, which is not something people had been accusing the Mac of in years past. Heck, the main technology reporter for the Wall Street Journal wrote a full column yesterday recommending the Macintosh over the PC, almost unequivocably.

Something’s going to happen.

Eh. I wrote a little entry about the Mac, but don’t feel like posting it yet. Now’s not the day.

Part of the problem is the rain outside. My world is drenched, rain pouring from the sky in amounts that would surprise Noah. And, of course, I have to be at work today.

But days like this were made for a steaming cup of tea, a good book, and a comfortable couch. I just can’t get enthusiastic about work. I should be home, curled up in a soft comforter and reading about the adventures of the Lensmen.

Speaking of which, I spent a good chunk of the weekend reading the first and most of the second books of the Lensman series (Triplanetary and First Lensman). They’re fabulous. This is where George Lucas got it from. Heck, this is where most of science fiction got its adventure from (frex, the Vorlons and Shadows of Babylon 5 have strong parallels to the two master races of the Lensman universe).

I had a good weekend; quiet, for the most part. I took care of my parents’ golden retriever while they were on vacation, but other than that, I continued my inner vacation.

I’m beginning to desire creativity and productivity. I want to do things now.

The question now is, what and how much?

How much do I know of my limits?

I’ve been asking myself this question often over the past few days. Last weekend tired me so much that I’m doing practically nothing creative.

I realized that I don’t have a strong sense of how creative I can be, of how long I can sustain a creative spell before tiring out. It seems to me that it’s rather silly of me to push myself to be creative when I don’t know what I’m capable of.

Of course, I can never know the precise answer to this. Creativity can’t be exactly measured. But I feel that I should have at least a rough idea of how much I can usually give before I tucker out.

So, I’m not pushing my creativity, and plan to continue this for the next week or two. I want to observe myself. I’m beginning to notice my rhythms now; times when I’m tired and times when I’m energized. I’m building a better idea of my most productive and least productive times.

This strikes me as a good thing. It’s time to listen to the whispers of my heart.

What is it about the internet that causes so many people to make fools of them

So. I saw Kill Bill on Saturday.

I really enjoyed it, though it’s certainly not for everyone. It’s hyper-violent in a way that parodies violent films. It’s a hyper-violent kung fu film that actually has the budget to pull off the hyperviolence that this sort of film usually doesn’t have the money to portray.

It’s basically a set of fight sequences, strung together with a clouded backstory of revenge. It’s a very cool series of fight sequences, too, since they were choreographed by Yuen Wu-Ping, the legend of kung fu fight sequence choreography. There’s a fabulous energy to the fights, but thanks to Wu-Ping‘s and Tarantino’s use of film, it’s all perfectly comprehensible.

Uma Thurman is fantastic. Heck, everybody is fantastic. Nobody pulls the film down.

That said, the film tends to drag a bit. As I stood in the theater lobby afterwards talking to a friend, I commented that this felt like an hour-and-a-half film told in two hours and twenty minutes. There’s lots of unnecessary backstory in there, including the anime sequence.

Oh yes…there’s an anime sequence. It’s beautiful in a hyper-violent, ridiculously bloody and disturbing way. But it’s essentially a story of one villain’s childhood. I didn’t care. It was interesting, but it was extra information that didn’t push the film along at all. If it had involved the protagonist, that might’ve been interesting. Instead, it pretty much established the following facts: she had a sucky, violent childhood. Um. Okay. It felt like fanfic.

On the other hand, it’s beautiful fanfic, and all of the film is over-the-top and rather pointless. It’s a revenge fantasy, after all. The plot is very much secondary to watching Uma Thurman take out eighty sword-wielding bad guys who wear Kato masks.

In other news…new poll. And I’ve been tweaking the layout of these pages a bit, mainly for variety. What do you think?

Last weekend has knocked me for a loop; I kept away from small group last night and rested. Which meant watching a lot of good anime.

Particularly, His and Hers Cirumstances, which remains one of my favorite anime series of all time. It’s a beautiful portrait of two high-schoolers dealing with life and love. Which sounds trite, but this is perhaps the least trite series I’ve ever seen. This is real, without settling for that fake “real” which means “as dysfunctional as possible.” These two have a strong, close relationship, complete with moments of awful insecurities and bliss. Which strikes me as being very like real relationships.

I’m nearing the end of the series, which is rather heartbreaking. I feel strongly for these characters. I don’t want our time together to end.

Perhaps you’re rolling your eyes at this. C’mon, Brent; it’s just a cartoon. But this is what animation can be. We all want these moving pictures to touch us on some deep level, don’t we? His and Hers has succeeded. And, as in life, parting is painful.

I’ve also watched the first four episodes of Angelic Layer, which is a classic CLAMP show: innocent without naivete, exciting without being extreme, cute without being saccharine, and heartwarming without being (too) trite.

Full update later today. Meanwhile, check out the pictures of the pretty horses I took a week and a half ago.

Okay, I just checked my headlines, and came across this bit of hilarity. Dave Fester, Microsof’t Windows Digital Media Division General Manager, says:

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